Amalgamator.



S. BEER.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED sEPTnzs, 1913.

1 ,095,0'71. Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

l W/INEIWML I I, mmm/f gw I w i mon/vers mvrTEn sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

SAMPSON BEER, OF GREENWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

AMALGAMATOR.

Loosen.

To all @Mmm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAMrsoN BEER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Greenwood, in the county of Eldorado and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved Amalgamator, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a gold saving device for the treatment ofauriferous gravel, sand, tough clay and oxidized ores, to eX- tract thegold therefrom.

lt is a design of my invention to provide a device that will beefficient in the treatment of gravels and the like that have beenpreviously washed, and to recover therefrom the rusty gold formerlylost, owing to the formation of rust on the gold-bearing material whichresisted the amalgamating action in the operation of the ordinaryapparatus.

1t is a further design of my invention to provide a device of theindicated character, within the means of the private placer or quartzload miner, while at the same time ycapable of embodiment in apparatusof large size for the larger operator.

It is a further design of my invention to provide an amalgamatingapparatus that will result in a higher saving of gold with decreasedcost.

rlhe invention will be particularly eX-V plaincd in the specificdescription following.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on the line 1-1 of Fig.2, of a goldsaving device embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a crosssection on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

ln constructing a gold-saving device in accordance with my invention, asuitable framework or support 10 is provided, having mounted thereinpairs of friction rollers 11. 0n the rollers 11 is supported to revolvea shell or drum 12, having annular tires or exterior rings 13, 14,thereon, resting on the said friction rollers. The central portion ofthe shell or drum 12 is cylindrical, while the ends 12a taper, being inthe form o f truncated cones, and the rings 13, 14, are dis- Speccationof Letters Patent.

Application led September 26, 1913.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Serial No. 791,966.

posed at the ends of the cylindrical portion adjacent to the truncatedends 12a.

Between the rings 13, 14, and disposed centrally of the shell, is atoothed ring 15, meshing` with which is a spur pinion 16 on a y shaft 17the shaft being driven in any suitable manner, here shown as by a pulley1S over which a belt 19 passes! to any suitable source of power (notshown).v

Vithin the shell 12 adjacentto the ends of the central cylindricalportion are provided rings or annular flanges 20, disposed radially andforming with the shell, an annular depression or continuous channel 21.On the internal rings 20 are suitably secured deflecting elements 22, inthe form of blades or bars, which are spirally disposed for the majorportion of their length, the ends 23 being deflected on convergent linesin the direction of the ends of the shell.

The inlet end of the shell is provided with a neck 12b that receives thefeed chute or hopper 24 for delivering the material to the shell. Theopposite endconstitutes a discharge outlet for the shell and is formedwith a neck 12, to which is secured a tubular screen 25, said screenflaring slightly outwardly. The inlet 12b is somewhat smaller indiameter than the outlet 12c so that the discharge level will be belowthe inlet. The screen 25 is formed at its outer end with an internalannular rib or flange preferably L-shaped or angular in cross section,so that the said bar constitutes a strengthener for the screen and in ameasure, a riiiie. rlhe screen is further provided interiorly betweenthe ends thereof with spaced annular ri'liles 27.

My improved apparatus has proven highly efficient in recovering goldfrom materials that have been repeatedly passed through ordinary washingand amalgamating machines, particularly with respect to recovering goldfrom particles having a deposit of rust thereon. The improved resultsare explained by the fact that the material is sub- `iected in mymachine to a very effective abrasive action which removes or breaks upthe covering of rust and renders the gold more readily amalgamable;whereas the ordinary machines in which the abrasive action is not soeffective, leave the gold particles improperly cleaned of rust and henceless liable to attack by the quieksilver.

In operation the quicksilver is supplied to the shell through the inlet12b, and the gravel or other gold-bearing material and Water aresimilarly fed through the inlet by means of the hopper 24 or the like.The sh-ell, being turned through the medium ot the toothed ring l5 andypinion 16 or equivalent means, the gold bearing material is continuallyturned'over and agitated. The depth of the trough 21 is such that in noease will rocks Wedge themselves behind the detlecting blades 22. In theturning of the shell the rocks and other Waste materials will graduallybe deflected toward the discharge end of the shell by the blades 22, Q3,it being understood that the speed of revolution of the shell Will varywith the nature of the materials being treated, but in no case will thespeed be suiiicient tofcause the quicksilver to pass to the dischargeend 12C.

The eiiiciency of the machine resulting from the increased abrasiveaction produced, and the thorough exposure of the particles to theamalgamating material, is due to the form of the shell with itscylindrical center and truncated conical ends as well as the formationof the annular trough at the cylindrical portion at the back of thedelector blades, so that the latter are disposed at the inner open sideof the trough. This position of the blades relatively to the trough andshell, not only contributes to the increased abrasive and amalgamatingresults, but largely protects the bottom of the trough from the blows ofthe rocks in the material. Added eliiciency is given to the machine bythe annular screen and its rill'ies arranged to turn With the shell. Therocks being Washed over the ritlies of the screen serve to jar thelatter and keep it clean. The finer gold bearing particles notamalgamated in the body of the shell will escape through the meshes ofthe screen onto any ordinary amalgamating plate 28, While the rocks andother waste products will pass out of the discharge end of the screen.The liner particles are subjected to an abrading action in the screenand in being passed through the latter, so that they are moresusceptible to amalgamation on the plate 28. Clay lumps from goldbearing strata can be successfully broken up by my device and valuesobtained.

The results, it will be observed, are obtained by a construction whichinvolves a minimum cost for manufacture, operation and upkeep.

For the removal of the amalgam a door is provided in the drum or shell,here shown as indicated by the nume `al QS, and is located in theconical discharge end adjacent to the cylindrical portion.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent:

l. A device of the character described, comprising a shell or drumhaving truncated conical ends formed respectively with an iulet and anoutlet, the intermediate portion of the shell being cylindrical andformed with an annular trough or channel, and spiral blades at theinner, open side of the channel, the ends of the blades being defiectedon convergent lines.

2. A device ot the character described, comprising a shell havingtapered ends and a cylindrical intermediate portion, said shell beingmounted to revolve and being provided interiorly with fixed rings at theends of the cylindrical portion, said rings forniing an annular troughor channel, and spiral blades supported on the inner edges olE the lixedrings and bridging the channel, said blades projecting beyondv the ringsand being spaced from the shell at both the cylindrical portion and thetapered ends.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a shell havingtapered ends and a cylindrical intermediate portion, rings in fixedrelation to the shell at the interior thereof, and disposed adjacent tothe ends of the cylindrical portion, said rings torming a channel at thecylindrical portion ot the shell, and fixed spiral blades on the saidrings at the inner periphery thereof, the blades being spaced from thecylindrical portion of the shell and extending at their ends beyond therings, the said projecting ends being deliected iiiwardly at an angle tothe central portions of the blades.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence oi two subscribing witnesses.

SAMPSON BEER.

litnesses FRED M. IIUN'roN, IMELDA MCCARTHY.

lLopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

